From Pain to Paradise
by Asteral-Dreamer
Summary: Everything changed when Kagome was rescued by a man with silver eyes from the clutches of someone she once called friend. Now that she is safe from them, she must learn the truth about those she was once close to and finds out more than she bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

**_The End of Misery, part 1_**

Zine watched with cold silver eyes. Only one of the people in the small cave knew he was there but he also knew that she could say and do nothing about it. The marks on her arms forbade it. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he watched a group of men leave the small enclosure. He knew full well what had happened, where he stood had given him a clear view of everything.

 _Such disgraceful creatures_ , he seethed. _To call themselves men of any race is an insult but, unfortunately, their kind are more common than not._

For three moons he had watched, waiting for an opportunity to help the women inside. For three moons, he had to endured their screams and cries without giving himself away. Listened to their pleas for the pain and torture to stop. For three moons, Zine had planned innumerable ways to slaughter and devour the souls of those wolves that tormented the six women he was going to free. He had originally come across them by accident, having been wandering to learn the lay of the land his Prince was visiting when he felt the pulse of a weakened Elemental calling out. As he was an Elemental himself, he knew to help whoever it was. What he came across infuriated him, especially when he saw what was on each of their arms.

Although he didn't fully understand the language, he recognized the intent in the magic behind them. They were a seal, a seal that would prevent a being of power from accessing their power. _Normally used by humans against demons or any such greater being than they_ , Muse had explained. _Although archaic and forbidden by all societies, it seems as though it is still used to some degree by those who wish to either temp fate or are ignorant of the rules. It almost completely severs the connection a being has to their power; which, in many cases, can be fatal to the individual depending on how old they are and how heavily they rely on their power. If they solely rely on their power, like many of the lesser demons that roam around or an child that is still learning, it is fatal. To someone like the people our Prince is visiting, it would be an annoyance and eventually over a period of time it will fade, depending on their level of power and what they are._

Zine scoffed softly at the memory. Although Muse was a fount of knowledge, far beyond what he should have had access to, sometimes he was annoying; but then again, humans were only supposed to live at most a century and have only a limited amount of knowledge in their mind at any one time. Muse had been forced to carry a life longer than he was supposed to and more knowledge than that of most Gods or Divine Borne. _Being infused with the blood of a near dead God tends to do that_ , he sighed. He wasn't sure which God had done so to the man but it was most defiantly not done out of benevolence.

Once he was sure the men were far enough gone that he could move closer to the women, he did so. The shadows around him had told him that the Elemental had been imprisoned here for nearly three cycles and the little miko had been there for nearly one, and she was the newest. And giving the ferocity and familiarity the wolves used as they tormented her, she was previously well known to them. The shadows gave him every detail on who each of the women were and he knew that he had to get them out soon but there was a problem. Until he could safely transfer each of their marks to one of his shadow mimics and have their patterns down, he couldn't take them anywhere without being figured out or ruined. So he had watched, begrudgingly, for the time until he had everything down perfectly. Now though, he smiled darkly. _Soon you will be free, he chuckled softly. And then these wolves will pay for their transgression against all of you._

 _*~* 0o0o0o0o0*~*_

Anvira shivered as she felt the dark presence move again. She knew that it was some type of Dark Elemental, or at least loyal to one, and it had been watching for the last three moons. She had hoped that when she first felt it, that it would be there to help her and the others, especially the young miko, but as time continued on, it had only stuck near the far edge of the cave and done nothing. She hadn't told the others that it was there because she wanted to gauge its intent and when it had only done nothing but linger and fade for days on end, she had come to the conclusion that it wasn't there to help and decided against telling the others.

Once she was sure that the monsters, she refused to call them anything in similarity to men, were gone, she slowly got up from the floor and winced in pain. If she was hurting than the little miko was near broken, again. _Those damned beasts don't seem to care that she is human_ , she thought angrily. _She once called them friend for Kami's sake! How could they do this to her?!_ She sighed and shook her head, her pale blue hair fluttering with the motion. Sea-foam green eyes watched as the jagged edges flitted passed her gaze.

Her hair had once been long and lush, trailing down her back like a river through sand. Now it was butchered to just above her shoulders. The beasts cut it so that it was shorter than the length the bitch their leader called mate had hers. All of their hair was cut that short. Shaking her head again, she carefully made her way to the others who had begun moving towards the most injured of them all, the little miko.

"Anvira-sama," one of the others called softly. "She's still breathing but it is too shallow...I think they broke some of her ribs again..."

"Damn those monsters," another hissed, though her voice was hoarse. "She's ningen for Kami's sake! They should use such brutality on us not her...she doesn't have the strength to endure it like we do."

"Enough," Anvira sighed. "We get nowhere arguing. Let's get to the water. I have enough energy to mend the more extensive of the injuries."

The others nodded softly and carefully carried the battered onna to the small pool of water in the back. Anvira watched as two others moved towards a small herb garden kept hidden by some rocks. She smiled softly at them. Those two, Suki and Ami were very good healers. _Rabbits from the South_ , she reminded herself. They had been trapped here for nearly two cycles. Suki and Ami were apprentice healers in the Southern Lord's palace and Anvira had met them on a few occasions when their lord came to visit the East. They asked so many questions and it was nice to see ones so young so interested in the arts of healing. She had felt sorrow when the wolves had dragged them in with the marks on their arms. Apparently the two brown rabbits had been collecting herbs near the boarder when they were grabbed.

She had done everything she could to help heal them with her limited access to her power but it wasn't very effective at first. She thought it was ironic that the wolves thought such magic would prevent her from calling on her birth rite. She was an Elemental, not a youkai. She was truly a part of Nature. All the symbols on her arms did was make it so she couldn't merge with the water to escape and even if she could have, she wouldn't have left the others to suffer.

As Suki and Ami returned with some Moss Flowers that had several healing properties in them, Anvira looked towards the two gently washing the little miko and speaking soft words to silence the whimpers and cries from her. _Hikari and Yukari of the Northern Army, daughter of the Northern Lord's General. Falcons._ She smiled softly as she though about the hell those two had given the wolves and still gave them. Hikari and Yukari were twin sisters and hand trained by their father in martial combat. They didn't need their youki to kill someone and they nearly came close to killing a few of the mongrels that had grabbed them. The Falcons had been on patrol for their Lord when they had been grabbed. She had been their prisoner for six moons when they had shown up, battered and bruised but still fighting. The rabbits had come six moons after the sisters.

Anvira knelt in the water after stripping out of what was left of her kimono. All six of them couldn't lay down and fit so they had agreed that they would lay to wash one at a time, the more injured being first. Once Suki and Ami were sitting in the pool as well, Anvira closed her eyes and began channeling what healing energy and warmth she could. She touched the miko first and grimaced at the extent of her injuries.

"Suki, Ami," she sighed softly. "She will need the whole flower this time. As well as some stitches."

"Okay," Ami said softly as she got out quickly.

She shivered at the sudden temperature shift. When Anvira began channeling her healing energy into the water, it warmed slightly. It wasn't the same temperature as a hot spring, but it was enough to be comfortable. She quickly moved towards the small garden of minor herbs that she and Suki had been able to maintain without the ookami seeing it. If they knew that they were growing the healing flowers, they would destroy them. As it was, the garden was too small to be of much use but they made it work. She and Suki were trained in the art of healing, like Anvira was, but with the seals on their arms it was impossible to call on their youki. Anvira had taught them how to heal ningen and holy people with their youki even though they were opposite energies along with the knowledge of herbs and plants.

 _Power is power_ , she had explained. _It only needs an intent. If you want to kill someone with it, they will die. If you want to heal someone with it, they will be healed. Do not let fear be your deciding factor, use reason and logic. Saving a life gains far more friends than ending one does._

Ami and Suki had taken those words to heart and had helped their Lord make peace with the ningen settlements in his lands. Lord Ortomu was feared by many because he was a rather large bear yokai and bears, both mortal and yokai, had a tendency to be quite nasty when provoked. Although he was kind to his people, Lord Ortomu had no mercy to those that angered him or attacked his holdings. The only one that was worse when angered was his mate but then again, female bears were fiercely protective. The only race that could possibly be worse were the inu and the other canine races. While female bears were very protective of their young, canines viciously protected what they had claimed as theirs. If you so much as insulted anything or anyone they called theirs, they would tear into you without remorse.

Shaking her head slightly, Ami looked over her small garden to find a fully bloomed light green and white flower. She smiled and gently picked it so that it would regrow in the moist air. Once she had it, Ami put it in her mouth and began chewing it as she walked back over. Sometimes she wished she were an inu instead of a rabbit since the saliva of the inu had just as many, if not more, healing properties than the flower she was chewing. Once it was sufficiently chewed up, she spit it into her hand and stepping in the water. She carefully moved towards the twin falcons and began to rub the chewed up flower into the cleaned cuts that covered the onna's body.

Suki climbed out to get the sewing kit she had fashioned out of the small bits of food and clothes they had been given. The needle was made out of some kind of bone and she really didn't want to know what it had come from. Ookami were carnivores so it could have come from anything and the only ones with them that needed meat to gain strength were the Falcons and the little miko. Shaking her head, she grabbed it and the thread she had collected from their torn clothes and made her way back to the warmer water. Once Ami moved away, having rubbed all of the flower she could into the wounds, Suki began to stitch them closed. It was with diligent patience and long practice that she was able to do this without causing the little ningen more pain than she was already in. When she winced in pain, she would pause and let the falcon twins speak softly to her to distract her from the pain. Once she was done, one of the Falcons carried her over to their huddle of beds and dried her gently to begin wrapping the stitches to keep them clean.

Yukari gently laid the small priestess on the furs and torn linens they had been given to sleep on. Ever so gently she dried her off and began to bandage the areas that had stitches. As she worked, her mind drifted into her memories. When the wolves had grabbed her and her sister, they had used every skill they had been trained with to try and get away. They only reason that they were stuck in the mess they were was because of the sheer number of wolves. They had fought with all they had but the numbers wore them out. When they were brought in and tortured, eventually getting the marks on their arms, they had raised hell once again. She smirked at the memory of the faces the ookami had when they realized that she and her sister hadn't even used their youki to nearly kill them all beforehand. It was sheer skill. Their father had insisted that they learn how to defend themselves without their youki should there come a time when they had none to use.

Both she and her sister had been thankful for that training. It made it so that the blasted wolves focused more of their brutality on them and not the others. She and Hikari were soldiers, trained to endure torture and brutality. But no matter how hard they fought, the damned beasts used a majority of their brute force on the little human she was helping mend. Yukari thought it deplorable that these beasts once had the honor of being called her friends and even claimed her as a pack sister. _Pack sister my ass_ , she seethed once she tied the last bit of the makeshift bandages over the stitches. _I doubt this event was far in the making from the beginning. Humans are either food or stress relief for wolves during their breeding seasons, or any time to be honest. They are no better than bandits in many regards._

Once the miko was bandaged, Hikari came over and nudged her sister back to the water. Once Yukari was on her way back to the pool, Hikari began to dress the little onna. She had the same thoughts as her sister about the ookami clan that held them prisoner. Even though she and her sister never really thought much of the wolves in the first place, what they had done to her and the others made it so they had borderline hatred for them. The actions of the wolves against her and her sister could have been justified in the fact that the Northern Army had done nothing to help when the monster from the Band of Seven had flushed the ookami from their dens and began eating the wolves it had caught. The Northern Lord was of the opinion that if the wolves couldn't defend their homes or have the incentive to call for aid, they earned what was happening. But doing such to the little rabbits Suki and Ami, and the Elemental Anvira from the Eastern Lord was inexcusable. There were no wolves in the South, Ortomu-sama had never seen a wolf in his lands, nor did he want them there, but knew they had dens near the boarder and Edvir had let them stay where they were as long as they didn't cause any problems. The most deplorable though, was their actions to the onna laying barely conscious in front of her.

The only ones that didn't know much about this ningen were Suki and Ami because her travels never took her very close to the Southern Lands. She was the Shikon Miko, the defeater of the foul half-spider Naraku. Lord Tenkotsu of the North was infuriated when he learned that the dark hanyou was in the North and in such a holy place as Mount Hakurei. He had wanted to send a small contingent to help the Shard Hunters but had to place them somewhere else due to the massive wave of low-level youkai that came streaming out once it collapsed. If he had sent her and her sister, they would have arrived just in time to help. She and Yukari were the fastest fliers in the North. The only ones faster than them was their father and Lord Tenkotsu.

Hikari sighed and made sure that the young miko was comfortable before covering her and getting dressed herself. She looked over as the others came to dry off and get dressed.

Anvira knelt next to the miko's head. "Sleep little one," she spoke softly. "You will be safe for tonight. They won't be back."

She got a small nod before deep cobalt eyes closed. Anvira sighed heavily.

"Any idea on how much longer it will take to get rid of these?" Yukari asked as she held up her arm.

"It will take me a little," Anvira sighed. "Mine faded this morning. I am not at full strength yet and my connection hasn't fully returned but I can feel it stronger and stronger each time I enter the small pool."

"You have been slowly siphoning the aura from ours to hide that yours is gone," Hikari stated. "They would be able to sense that it was gone if you weren't."

Anvira nodded. "I will not leave you five to these monsters."

Suki and Ami nodded. Even though the six of them haven't been together all that long, they were as close as kin because of what they had all gone through. They bonded more and more with each time they healed each other, protected each other from the ookami, and curled together to sleep. In the few times when none of the bastards were there, they helped teach each other what they could. Suki and Ami had slowly come to understand how important the young priestess was to all of Nihon and all that she had accomplished. They and Anvira had begun helping her learn other means of healing with both plants and her powers. Hikari and Yukari had begun to try and teach the little onna how to use her body as a weapon but it was slow going since she was usually spending that time healing from her injuries.

All of them tensed when they felt a surge of power around them and looked around the room, ready to defend the weakest of them. All froze when a pale skinned man walked out of the shadows with hair as pale as his silver eyes and clothes darker than night. Anvira froze further when a soft smile crossed his face, she recognized the aura as the being that had been watching for the last few moons. His mouth moved but there was no sound, but all five of them knew the words he spoke and felt hope seep back into their beings for the first time in several moons.

" _Come morning you will be free. I have sealed your scars to shadows that will take your place. I have watched for many moons to learn your patterns, as well as theirs. You will be within the safety of my Royal by nightfall. Your rescue is already on their way._ "

With those silent words and another surge of power that each recognized as a powerful barrier, the man vanished as if he was never even there. In an split moment, each felt the surge of their own youki and the burst of reiki from the young miko. The only fear they had was that the surge would alert the wolves but soon noticed that the room was covered in a deep purple barrier and that their power was being reflected off of it back towards themselves.

"A Void," Anvira whispered. "Only they have enough power to deny any and all around them. The wolves won't know of the surge, as if they could under the onslaught of their breeding heat."

Hikari and Yukari cracked the knuckles as their talons returned to their finger tips and popped their necks as they rolled their shoulders. "Those wolves are going to be torn apart when we have the chance."

Suki and Ami begin moving their heads around trying to pickup each and every sound they could. Unfortunately for them, there were too many echos so they couldn't pinpoint where anything was. "Too many echos...we can't find anything solid to pinpoint anything that would lead us out safely."

"He said that our rescue was on the way," Anvira stated. "Meaning that he is not loyal to these wolves. It begs the question on who he has loyalty to. There are many that could claim the title of Royal."

The others looked down in thought. Anvira had a point. Any of their Lords could be counted as a Royal. So who held the Void?

"It can't be Edvir," Anvira stated first. "I would have known if there was a Void in the castle. Elementals can always feel each other, regardless of element."

"We have never seen him before," Suki stated and Ami nodded. "It is possible that he could be loyal to Ortomu-sama though. We hadn't gotten a chance to meet everyone yet."

"He's not from the North," Hikari added. "We would have come across him. No one sees Lord Tenkotsu or the court without first going through us and chichue."

Yukari nodded.

"Meaning he is either from the South or the West," Anvira sighed. "Either option bodes well. As long as his word holds true."

Unknown to the five women talking, Zine was still near by. The smile he wore grew ever so slightly as they discussed his potential alliances. They weren't even close. He held no loyalty to any of the nobility of the isle. His loyalty was to Prince Ardin of Carmidya, The Ethereal Realm. Although the reasons for Ardin and the others being on the Mortal Plane were not ideal, the nobles of the Isle were honored to have him here. Zine knew that only Ardin knew the names of his guardians, as each of them knew each others. To others, he was called Shadow. It was the name he had given Ardin's brother Tevik when he was first summoned from the Void. Since Zine hadn't given his name to Tevik, he was free to do as he chose. When plans of Ardin's assassination came around, Zine had removed himself from Tevik and chosen to give his loyalty to the young prince. He hadn't regretted it since.

There were three other guardians to the prince. The Huntress of Zer'Kal, Anshira. She was slightly insane due to the trama she had endured at the hands of nearly all of her family and many others. It was further enhanced when people learned that she was the only one capable of using the cursed sword Day'Ar. Day'Ar was originally a sorcerer that fell to his fear of his own power and went insane trying to keep it away from everyone. To safe-guard others from falling to his madness, his soul was sealed into a sword he had demanded be made to hold his power. As a result, whenever Day'Ar cut into something, the blade would begin to absorb the flesh, blood and bone of what it was used against. Almost as if Day'Ar himself was trying to remake his body to be free of his prison. It never worked and the sword would pulse with his voice every now and then but only she could hear it. It had been amusing to hear Anshira argue with him.

The next was a Priest of Zer'Kal, Atara. He smiled softly with a light hum as he thought about her. Atara was the only member of Anshira's family that didn't outright hate her or try to torment and kill her. In fact it wasn't until Ardin had told both of them that they were siblings did they learn that little fact. Atara was raised in the Temple of Zer'Kal, away from the influence of her family and all others except for the others in the priesthood, so she never knew that Anshira existed or what she had endured. Anshira had been surprised but was happy that she had at least one sane member of her depraved family. It was also only known to Ardin that he and Atara were a mated pair. She wore his Void Stone around her neck, his one way home to the Void and she protected it viciously with her radiant light.

The last guardian was Muse. Zine didn't know his true name, only Ardin did. Muse was a human that was forced to carry the blood of a God. In so doing, he nearly went insane and died. He only maintained his sanity and life by sheer willpower until Ardin took him in. Muse had once mentioned that he once had a brother that died because of being struck by a similar form of insanity and Muse had vowed to never end up like him. He controlled the flow of power, not the other way around. Because of that, Zine had seen Muse do wondrous things; as well as horrific. In one display of sheer power, Muse nearly died defending Ardin from one of Tevik's assassins. Ardin, being only a small child at the time, didn't know how else to repay and save Muse other than to tie them together. It had prolonged Muse's life, even over what it already had been, and given the two a permanent connection that was nearly as strong as a mated pair. The only thing was that Ardin could still have a mate, as could Muse if either so chose.

Once he was sure that the women were asleep, Zine moved over towards the entrance of the small cave and placed another barrier that only those who were chosen to rescue them could get in. His smile darkened as he knew that there would be some of the unmated trying to come here to seek release when they couldn't find a mate this time around. They would never find the door until the women were back at Lord Edvir's palace. Only then would the door reopen but instead of being the women they had imprisoned and raped for several seasons, they would be shadows formed as the women. Fully capable of acting like each woman due to how long he had watched them. The wolves wouldn't notice the difference unless the actual women turned back up. The depraved actions of the wolves would feed the shadows, as such beings thrived on the darkness in each person they touched.

 _Such fools you are_ , he chuckled. _You began your downfall the moment that you took Anvira from the Eastern capital. It was only hastened when you took the others. Now, now it is finalized with the pain and misery you have forced on one you once called ally and kin. I know many who will enjoy tearing you apart, as well as those that unintentionally helped you by forgetting their loyalties. I will take great pleasure in eating your souls, as Day'Ar eats your flesh and bones. Nothing will be left of this clan other than the children and the two that changed their loyalties from you long before this took place. Children can be retaught. You however, will not receive that blessing. Even if the little one pleads for it. No, dear Kagome, you must understand that such actions as those that they have taken against you have a steep price to pay. A price that many will take great joy in making them pay._

With one last glance towards the sleeping women, Zine nodded and vanished. They would be safe with the spells Muse had given him for the door and the shadows wrapped around them. Morning would herald the twin wolves coming to free them. By sunset, his love would have them before her to be healed with him assisting. He looked forward to eating the misery that haunts their dreams and lives. It would be quite filling and would ensure his form would not fade from his beloved Atara for awhile yet. Zine smiled as he reformed next to her sleeping body. Ever so carefully he touched her pale gold hair with a loving expression. With a soft kiss to her bare shoulder, he slowly made his way towards the pulse of his prince and Lord Edvir. They would be happy to know that Muse's magic had begun taking effect and that the woman knew rescue was coming for them.


	2. Chapter 2

**_The End of Misery, part 2_**

Zine walked through the long halls towards the soft pulse of his prince's power. It never ceased to amaze him that one so young carried the power of a God and the weight of an entire dimension on his shoulders. Ardin Envel was one of the few beings that he was glad to never cross as an enemy as he had seen the child nearly unmake the assassins that his older brother Tevik had sent after him when they nearly killed Muse.

He smiled softly when he approached the balcony where the young prince and the elder Vampire sat watching the sunrise with some white tea on the table next to them. Ardin's pale gold hair shimmered as the sun light touched it and it seemed to reflect lightly off of Edvir's platinum hair. Ardin turned slightly and smiled softly as he approached.

"Good morning, Shadow," he said softly. "Are you well rested?"

"I am afraid I have not yet entered any form of rest," Zine said with a soft bow, a pang of regret in his voice.

"You have not slept?"

"I have explored the lands that Lord Edvir controls and found many things but there has been one that has kept my attention for these passed several months."

"There is little I can think of that would occupy so much of an Elemental's time," Edvir stated calmly. "Unless there are events that have escaped my familiars."

"You have searched all lands for your advisor," Zine said calmly. "I have found her. And others."

Edvir's eyes flashed a dark crimson. "Where?"

"There is a series of dens in the far cliffs that you are watching the sun shine over. She and the others are there. Hidden by a forbidden art but soon released."

Zine remained motionless as the stone balcony began to crack and crumble slightly under the sheer weight of Edvir's power. His expression shifted slightly when Ardin jumped as part of the overhang dropped a few feet next to him.

"Where?" Edvir asked again, his voice darker then it was prior. "Where has she been taken?"

"The wolf den of the Eastern Range," Zine answered blankly. "I have watched for the last three moons to learn the patterns of her captors and of her own actions with the others to make a small collection of puppets to hide their escape."

"What was used to hide them, Shadow?" Ardin asked softly.

"The Seal of Prisons," he answered.

Ardin's eyes widened. "That is lethal to an Elemental!"

"They made a mistake."

"What mistake?"

"She is Water. There was a small pool there that she could use. The Seal of Prisons is only lethal to an Elemental if they have no physical connection to their element."

"Who is with her?" Edvir asked, his voice slowly returning to normal as he began to use his youki to repair the damages to the balcony. "Their loyalties? Their condition?"

"Twin Falcons from the North. Fully trained in combat to use none of their power. They are stable, if only little bruised. Two rabbits from the South, apprentice healers from a village that boarders the East. Well versed in plant life and able to heal on that alone. They are also stable but are highly frightened of their surrounds. The last is a human priestess. I know not her loyalties though I do know that she was once considered close to the leader of the wolves. What changed between them is uncertain however she has suffered the most extensively in her imprisonment."

"What do they look like?" Ardin asked. "If we know their appearance, we may be able to identify them and learn their homes."

Zine held up one of his hands and conjured a dark rimmed mirror. It's reflective surface shimmered softly before showing the images of the females one at a time.

"I recognize all of them," Edvir hissed. "The Falcons are Hikari and Yukari. Daughters of General Tetomi. I have seen them in the times I have gone to the Northern Palace to speak with Tenkotsu. However it has been nearly three years since they have been last seen. Tetomi refuses to consider the thought that his daughters are dead and still looks for them with what time he is allowed. The rabbits are Suki and Ami, they have come here on numerous occasions to learn healing from Anvira. It has been roughly two years since Lord Ortomu has asked about any of my soldiers coming across them. He is slowly losing hope that they are still alive.

"The last however, I know the greatest detail about though I have never met her in person. Her loyalty is to the West although it is slightly misplaced. She may also be the one that opened the way for your retreat from Carmidya. She has the power to do so despite little training on using her power."

"Her name?" Ardin asked, gently touching the image in the mirror.

"Kagome," Edvir answered. "The Shikon Miko."

Edvir sent a pulse of his power through the fortress as he called for two soldiers, two he knew full well wouldn't fail him. Zine continued to show the faces of each woman as two men walked onto the repaired balcony. Both knelt before the Vampire Lord before looking at him. One had steel gray hair with a thick black streak down the center that was passed his shoulders and tied back at the base of his neck, the other cropped white hair set just under his ears and slicked back save for a few small stray pieces in his face. The one with black and gray hair had bright blue eyes while the one with white hair had deep black eyes.

"You called for us," they spoke in unison.

Edvir looked at the images in Zine's mirror. "These women are being help in the Eastern Mountains. Your task is to bring them here without being detected. This Shadow will accompany you. None are to know you are there, not even them."

Zine quirked a brow as both seemed to tense and anger seeped into their auras when the image of Kagome flashed onto the mirror. Both bowed their heads.

"We will bring them to safety with the enemy none the wiser," one said, his voice strained slightly.

"They will be here by sunset," the other stated.

"Good," Edvir stated calmly. "Go."

Both bowed a little deeper before vanishing.

"They were angry," Ardin said worriedly.

"They know Kagome," Edvir sighed. "They once claimed the caves in the mountains as their home. They were once loyal to the ookami that reside there."

"Are they still loyal to them?"

"No. They are loyal to me. They have earned their place as my Captains with skill and determination. I have tested their loyalty many times and they have, as yet, never failed. Wolves are loyal until death unless something forces them to change it. Their old leader lost their trust and friendship some time before they came to me. They won't fail, they have yet to."

Zine nodded and melded into the shadows to join the two that were going to rescue the women. He easily caught up to the two wolves and smiled softly. Though they were angry, they were focused.

"How long has nee-san been in Kouga's clutches?" Ginta asked when he saw Shadow moving next to them.

"Just under a year from what the others have told me," Zine answered. "I would have pulled them sooner if not for the Seal on their arms."

"Are they gone?" Hakkaku asked.

"Yes. My puppets have taken their shackles as their own. Your former leader will not know the difference, nor will any of the others."

Both wolves growled low in their throats. They had told Kagome that being anywhere near Kouga after she came back was a bad idea and that she should never have gone alone.

"Did she go alone?" Ginta asked, hoping that she had maybe taken Inuyasha or someone with her.

"She did," Zine answered. "The ones she had originally asked said they would join her but short sighted events made it so they did not."

"Kuso," Hakkaku cursed. "We warned her to not go alone! We also made sure that the others vowed to go with her!"

"What was more important than going with her?" Ginta growled.

Zine's blank glance was enough to tell both wolves that is was best that they not hear the answer so that they could focus on getting the women away from the den without getting caught. Both wolves growled but continued on to the mountains using paths they hadn't walked in years. When in a clearing several miles before the den, they paused.

"I know that you have no scent or presence but it would be best if you are here," Ginta stated. "We know every tunnel and path in these mountains and know of several that the others don't know exist."

"We will be back here by midday," Hakkaku explained. "With all six of them and Kouga still asleep."

Zine nodded. He had been shown the level of stealth both wolves had both in person and through Shadows. They knew exactly what they could do but he would watch through the Darkness and help keep them hidden from sight.

 _*~* 0o0o0o0o0o0*~*_

Ginta and Hakkaku moved slowly through the winding tunnels. As far as they could tell, they were the only ones who knew that these paths were there. When they were cubs, they would wander around and explore every bit of the cave networks they called home. These tunnels that they were wandering through led through the lower networks that would be perfect to evacuate the den should it be attacked. When they were going against the Bird of Paradise, most of the women and cubs hid through the tunnels so that they wouldn't be easily reached by anyone but the wolves. With their noses twitching slightly, they could tell that no one had been through these tunnels for a long time.

"Looks like no one thought to come back here after the Birds were destroyed," Hakkaku whispered. "That may be a problem."

"Only if someone comes along with a nose better that ours," Ginta smiled. "We learned a great deal more with the Eastern Lord than Kouga ever could have taught us."

"That's the truth."

Ginta nodded and both continued on quietly. After a few moments both had to hold back the urge to throw up. They could clearly smell the overlapping layers of sweat and sex plus the over powering tang of females in heat. They looked at each other and shuddered.

"How did we not throw up while we were still here?" Ginta groaned, his eyes burning slightly. "This smell is horrific."

"I guess because we were used to it," Hakkaku theorized. "We grew up with these smells and now that we have been away from them for so long, and the fact we have slightly higher sense, it is too much. We better hurry or we won't be able to get them out of here."

Ginta nodded and both quickened their paces, tuning out the smell of everything but Kagome's powerful scent. They had liked her smell because it was clear and crisp, reminding them of the waterfall that was just outside the den and the air after heavy rain. When they came to the small crack. They quickly ducked inside but quickly jumped back when a wall of water was thrown at them.

"Ah!" Ginta yelped. "Lady Anvira! It's us."

Anvira tensed slightly when she heard footsteps near the door and pulled some of the water from the pool around her. She had hoped that any unsuccessful males would not try on the first day. When someone stepped in, she sent the water around her towards the door. She froze when she heard the voice of one of the twins that were part of her Lord's army. When the water returned to her she saw both of them looking at her sheepishly and she slumped slightly before falling to her knees. With a few tears sliding down her face, she sent a quiet thanks to whichever of the gods that were watching over them, and to the Shadow that had spoken to them.

"I trust you know what has happened?" she asked softly.

"Hai," Hakkaku stated. "Shadow informed us. He is also waiting for us at a clearing a few miles away from here. We've come to get you all out of here and to the Eastern palace."

"The little one is too injured to move," Suki whispered, she could tell that the two males were wolves but if Anvira wasn't still trying to kill them then they were good wolves.

Ginta looked towards Kagome and felt his heart drop, she looked horrible. He glanced at Hakkaku and nodded.

"I'll carry her on my back," he said softly. "Wrap her in some loose cloth so that she can be tied to my back. There are tunnel routes that haven't been used in years that we could wind through to get out."

"What about the other mongrels?" Yukari hissed.

"The path we took doesn't go near the front. We will be heading out the back through a network that only we know."

"How safe is this network?"

"It was only used once before," Hakkaku explained. "When the Birds of Paradise were attacking the den. We weren't able to smell anything in them meaning the tunnels haven't been used since."

Yukari and Hikari nodded. Canines has strong noses and if they didn't smell anything than it was safe.

"Suki, Ami," Hikari called. "Do you hear anything from the front heading this way?"

Both rabbits shook their heads no.

"Then lets get going. The sooner we get out, the sooner she can get healed."

Everyone nodded and Ami quickly began to wrap Kagome so that she would be warm while Hikari and Yukari began working on a harness that would go on Ginta's back so that he could carry Kagome easily. Once it was on, they gently got her onto his back and he stood, moving her slightly so that she was comfortable and he was able to move quickly.

Hakkaku peaked out of the entrance and saw no one. With a nod to Ginta, he stepped out with the rabbits behind him. Ginta followed the rabbits while Anvira and the twin Falcons took the rear. Although they were a little tired still, the women made no complaint at the quick pace and in fact tried to get the twin wolves to move a little faster. Ginta stated that if they moved too quickly, he could end up hurting Kagome and that the wolves up front might catch the sounds of quick steps. Hikari and Yukari agreed with what they said and told the rabbits that it would best to use silent feet rather than quick movement.

It took a little longer to get out of the network, mostly because Ginta and Hakkaku were making overlapping trails just in case, but they got out and used the roar of the waterfall to hide their quicker steps. It was around midday, as they had promised, to get back to where Zine was waiting. Both wolves slid to a stop at the sight before them.

All around him were the broken bodies of many hebi youkai with visible chunks missing from their bodies and next to him was a tall woman with a long sword on her back.

"Hello little puppies," she smiled, her voice trilled slightly with insanity. "We got a little bored waiting, so did these little hatchlings. Day'Ar thought they were tasty."

Ginta shivered slightly. That woman creeped him out and he knew that she knew that too. Zine moved over and gently touched Kagome's forehead, moving the bangs from her face. With a soft nod he called his darkness around the small group and carried them all back to the fortress. When he felt that they were at the gates, he dismissed his darkness and fell to his knees. He looked at his hands and saw that they were smoking.

"Wow," Anshira cooed. "The little bity baby has as much purity as my baby sister!"

"Shadow!" a woman cried as she ran forward.

Zine looked up and smiled softly as Atara ran over and dropped in front of him. Worry crossed her face as she saw his hands and quickly looked towards to woman on the wolf's back.

"Bring her to my Sanctum," she said quickly. "I need to calm her. Her power is in command. The only reason you are not hurt is because she remembers you, if only faintly."

Ginta nodded. "Lead the way. I can feel her aura bubbling just underneath."

Atara nodded and quickly began making her way to chambers that Lord Edvir gave to her.

"Might want to go with them," Anshira smiled towards the others. "My baby sister can cleanse the remains of that seal off of you and help your internal and psychological wounds heal. Shadow will arrive once his hands heal to help."

"What more can he do?" Ami asked. "He already replace the marks on our arms."

"That was actually a transfer to something else. Muse gave him the spell to use, Shadow just made the puppets. Shadow eats darkness, pain, agony and misery. He is going to eat everything that was done to you during your imprisonment. In so doing, he will get to exist here longer."

"Go," Zine said softly. "I will be there when she has cleansed you."

The others nodded nervously but went to catch up with Atara, except for Anvira.

"Who are you loyal to?" she asked. "You are not of the East."

"We are not of here to begin with," Anshira answered. "We are of Carmidya. Our loyalty is to High Prince Ardin."

"Ca-Carmidya?!"

Anshira nodded gleefully. "Go on now, let my sister heal you. We can answer your questions later."

Anvira nodded and quickly left to catch up with the others.

"Did that little one really do that much damage to your hands or are you hiding the rest of it?"

"I have healed the worst of it," Zine stated. "Though your sister will want to make sure that it has healed and there are no residual traces of her power trying to cleanse me from existence."

"She's a cute little baby," Anshira smiled. "I look forward to killing the ones who hurt and betrayed her."

"As do I."

Anshira smiled a bit wider, her insanity clear for all to see before she began to lightly skip away towards the training grounds. Zine stood and began to make his way towards the Sanctum of his beloved. The sooner he began to heal the damage to their minds, the better off they would be when their lords arrived. He smiled darkly as he thought about the extent of what he would gain. After healing all six of them, he wouldn't need to feast on the darkness for quite some time. He might even gain the remaining shreds of his fragmented power back from Tevik and be free to exist as he chose. Oh he was looking forward to that.


	3. Chapter 3

**_The First Session of Healing_**

Ginta gently laid Kagome on the raised futon as Priest knelt at the bedside. He heard the others come in and the small woman give soft directions on where they should sit and wait.

It only took a few moments for Atara to make sure that she healed the others first since their injuries were less extensive than the little one before her. She also knew that they would argue the fact but she had a reason, and a good one at that. Once the others were seated, she went over to them and began to channel her healing energy into them. As she had expected, they tried to argue.

"Why are you mending us before her?" Ami asked shrilly. "She is more hurt than we are!"

"It is because of that fact," Atara explained. "As your wounds have healed mostly due to your own abilities, you only have minor wounds that take little energy to heal. Her body and mind as so broken that it will take a majority of my power to even begin to heal her. Taking care of your minor wounds and letting Shadow mend your mind will leave me with a large portion of my own energy that I can focus directly on her. If I tried healing her before the rest of you, I wouldn't have enough stamina to even attempt to mend the five of you."

Each listened to the small woman's words and understood rather quickly. They had a really good guess as to how badly the young onna's mind was going to be and this healer would need every bit of her own strength, and possibly theirs, to even begin the process.

Atara could tell at a glance what they were thinking by the expressions on their faces and smiled softly. She would welcome what help they offered in healing the young girl. Each tensed slightly as a dark aura filled the room. They glanced over and saw Shadow materialize just inside the door.

His silver eyes took in the scene calmly before he moved forward. Ginta and Hakkaku moved back so that he could be near the healer.

"Lord Edriv has asked for the two of you," he stated softly towards the wolves.

They nodded and gave a slight bow to Priest and the others before departing. For her part, Atara was evaluating her beloved. She could feel the strain in him that normally indicated he had been hurt but a sharp glance prevent her from asking or even attempting to heal him before she fixed the women. She knew whatever injury he had sustained would be rectified as soon as he began to siphon the pain from the five she was nearly done mending.

Zine moved closer to the others and took a seat in front of them to explain what he was going to do. He was aware that Kagome was partially conscious and thus able to at least come to terms with what he was about to do.

"Before this begins," he spoke calmly. "I am Shadow, Guardian of Prince Adrin of Carmidya. I am Void, Darkness and Shadow. What I am about to do is let part of my being seep into you. As long as you do not fight it, my darkness will not hurt you and I will do all I can to make sure it as unintrusive as possible. While my darkness is there, it will begin to siphon off all of the pain, misery and agony that you have endured in your time with those cretins.

"I will not be able to remove the memories of such, much as I may wish to, as that is not part of my being. Some of my kin can but I am not among those that have such skills. I can remove the emotions attached to the memories but little more. In taking such from you, I gain strength and sustenance. Such darkness fuels my power and being, letting me exist longer at the side of those I have accepted. Before I begin, do you have questions?"

When they shook their heads no, Zine closed his eyes and sat a little straighter. The five before him watched in mixed awe and fear as the room seemed to darken as every Shadow in the area surged towards him before moving towards them. When the dark tendrils touched them, each shivered at the stark chill of ice they seemed to carry before they seeped in.

At first their youki and inner beasts tried to fight it off but each was able to subdue their instincts to let the man do what he had said. They watched the memories of their capture and imprisonments play before them but as they felt the emotions attached to those memories try and surface, the tendrils would warp around them and begin to pulse.

They soon saw a murky white to deep red mist begin to get sucked into the pulsing tendrils. As each watched, the emotions they felt at each instance of their time in the dens fade to the point of objectivity. They could watch their imprisonment play over and over again but they could now use their logic and deductive reasoning to piece through the events and being to plan how to recognize such signs for the future. After what felt like hours, the tendrils unwrapped from them and began to help pull them from the depths of their minds.

They woke slowly from the forced meditation to see that they were laying down with one of the other healers on hand looking over them. Anvira glanced towards the door and saw Edriv standing at the door with his arms crossed over his chest. She slowly sat up and looked around. Suki and Ami were waking, each shaking slightly as they wept softly; Hikari and Yukari were already sitting up, both barely holding back the urge to tear into something; and Kagome was still out with both the healer and Shadow near her. Her eyes froze and widened at the sight of a young boy near her, gently running his fingers through Kagome's cropped hair.

Adrin's eyes were stinging with tears as he saw the state of the child before him. He knew that chronology he was far older than everyone inside the Eastern palace combined, but in terms of physical appearance, he only looked to be about twelve or thirteen. Zine had begrudgingly shown him the memories of the women and had shuddered at the near empty expression that had crossed his face. Muse had been able to point out that if he had gone out to try and resolve the issue, he may inadvertently start a war that would destroy everything. Adrin didn't want to due such, although he really wanted to punish the beings responsible for the amount of pain each had suffered.

Edriv, for his part, seemed unnervingly calm, which set the whole palace on edge. If the dark vampire was indifferent or silent about such drastic things, it usually meant he had something in mind that would bring those responsible to their knees begging for either forgiveness or death.

Once Ginta and Hakkaku had returned to him, he had them send out messages to the other three lords. He kept the words vague enough that they would be curious enough to come and see what he meant but also enough to the point that would make them hurry. He smiled softly as he envisioned the reactions of each one.

 _*~* 0o0o0o0o0*~*_

Ortomu glared at the two wolves before him. Although he could easily see that they belonged to Edriv, he was loath to trust such beasts after what had happened to the young rabbits he had taken in. He took the scroll with as much grace as he could despite his anger and opened it.

 _Daiyokai Ortomu, Lord of the South,_

 _I have somethings that belong to you that have been found lost among my lands. I invite you to come and retrieve them._

 _Daiyokai Edriv, Lord of the East_

Ortomu's Black Eyes narrowed as he read the scroll again. The only thing he could recall losing in the East were...

"Inform your lord we will be at the Eastern Fortress in three days at most," the large bear growled.

Ginta and Hakkaku simply bowed and departed. They held no ill towards the large male for being angry and distrusting of them. He had no idea if they were anything like the wolves that took his two rabbit wards and they honestly didn't have the time to assure him otherwise. It would be easier for him to see their differences when he arrived rather than try to explain. They were heading North next. The wanted to head to the West last since they knew it would be the harder to deal with. Though they had never met him, nor did they really want to, Lord Sesshomaru was a terrifying being to begin with. They also had no doubt that the Killing Perfection would live up to his name once he learned that his half-brother went back on his word yet again in concerns to Kagome.

 _*~* 0o0o0o0o0*~*_

Tenkotsu canted his head to the side when the two cubs walked into his study. When they were seated, they asked politely if his general, Tetomi, could be present as well. Soon his cousin walked through the doors and stood at his side. Once there, one handed the scroll to him.

Tenkotsu read the scroll once before moving it just so that Tetomi could read it as well. He felt his cousin tense and his copper eyes fixed the two with a level gaze.

"Three days," was all Tenkotsu stated.

With that, the wolves bowed and left. When they were gone, he looked at the shell shocked face of his cousin with worry. He could tell the man was stunned to learn that his children were alive but it was still a shock to learn that they were in fact alive.

"Tomi," he called, using his cousin's childhood nickname. "Pack your things and bring Asari. She needs to hold them as much as you do."

Tetomi nodded stiffly before walking out mechanically. Tenkotsu sighed and went to his chambers. It had been a while since he had visited Edriv. He pondered on what kind of gift of thanks he should bring for finding his nieces. After a few moments, he decided to bring a small collection of blood crystals he had collected from a rogue blood clan that had been laying waste to several of the smaller villages in his lands.

With that in mind, he went to collect the needed items and made sure to check on his cousin.

 _*~* 0o0o0o0o0*~*_

Ginta and Hakkaku gulped slightly as they neared the Western Fortress. It looked very much like a military outpost rather than a palace. It was widely known that the Western army was second to none other than their lord, first being the Inu no Taisho and then Sesshomaru himself.

The gates opened to show the man they were sent to see already waiting for them, a young kitsune at his side, along with a two tailed fire cat and a few of his generals. It only a few moments before they were able to place where they had seen the kit and cat from. They were Shippou and the taijia's fire neko.

"The kit recognized your auras," Sesshomaru spoke, his tone sending chills down their spines. "Speak quickly."

"We bare a message for you from Lord Edriv of the East," Ginta spoke, barely holding the tremor out of his voice.

"Read it."

Hakkaku nodded and pulled out the scroll to read aloud. "Daiyokai Sesshomaru, Lord of the West, I have in my procession something that was once lost within my lands. I invite you to come and retrieve it. Signed, Daiyokai Edriv, Lord of the East."

Sesshomaru narrows his eyes and glanced at the kit. His whole body was shaking in rage, which he knew wasn't towards the two before them. The kit had arrive nearly a full moon cycle ago with the fire neko asking for his aid in retrieving Kagome. When asked why Inuyasha hadn't done so, the kit growled and said that the whelp had claimed to be too busy and that it was normal for her to take forever to do anything at any time. Although he knew that the young miko did tend to take more time to do certain things, he doubted a simple visit would be any longer than a few days. The kit had thought so too, so when a month had gone by without her returning, the child had naturally begun to worry.

Shippou had even told him about the warning that Ginta and Hakkaku had given to the whole taichi that Kagome should never go to the dens by herself. He wasn't sure what had prevented the slayer, monk and his brother from going with her but the kit had been in kitsune school and the fire neko was going to retrieve him to visit.

"We will arrive in two days," Sesshomaru spoke.

Both looked at him in mixed shock and confusion but bowed and departed. The generals following to ensure they made it safely back to the Eastern Palace.

"They expected you to either lash out or be more cold," Shippou stated as he followed the stoic lord into the fortress.

"Understandable," he conceded. "With most I would be, and had I not already known from you where their loyalties were, I would have. You will come with as you are her child."

"What about Inuyasha and the others?"

Sesshomaru growled lowly. Shippou nodded softly in response. The elder members would only find out once Kagome was safe inside the fortifications of the Western Shiro. He didn't doubt that Sesshomaru would let them anywhere near here again once they learned what had happened to her.

"How long will we be there?" Shippou asked.

"Pack light but efficiently," he answered. "I will not remove her from Lord Edriv until she is healed from whatever she had endured. If she wasn't injured, she would have been with his messengers."

Shippou nodded. In the year he had been with the cold daiyokai, he had come to understand a fair about how the upper yokai viewed things. He would have learned such when he was old enough from his parents but both were killed before they could. Kagome had tried her best to raise him during the shard hunt with what she knew and her beliefs but she didn't know much about higher level yokai. Sango knew some but most of what she knew was how to get rid of them and a few of the minor but notable detail that set them apart.

With another shake of his head, Shippou went to the room offered to him and began to collect some of his clothes and a few of his kitsune tricks. He doubted that he would need them but it never hurt to have them just in case. He really hoped his okaa-san was okay, he really doubted that he could handle it if she was barely there enough to recognize him.

 _*~* 0o0o0o0o0*~*_

Edriv and the others watched as Priest's light and Shadow's darkness worked in a dance like balance to heal the damage done to the young miko. They had started just prior to sunset and it was already near the middle of the night. All refused to sleep, wanting to be there to help the young woman when she finally came out of her agony and pain. Just as it was getting clear that Priest couldn't do anymore, Kagome's reiki burst forth and wrapped around her as she bolted upright and tried to run. Huntress easily got in the way, blocking the windows while Muse and Edriv blocked the only doors out.

Kagome whipped her head around looking for a way out, her eyes wide with panic and she began to hyperventilate. Seeing her terror, Anvira and the others began to move around her.

"Little sister," Yukari called softly. "We are here. It's okay."

"Look at us imouto," Hikari spoke.

Kagome turned her head towards the voice and relaxed significantly at seeing them alright. She saw Suki, Ami and Anvira nearby as well. She quickly moved to them and began to weep as they enveloped her in a gently hug.

Each watched with relief and sadness as the youngest broke down. They were glad that she was awake and coherent, but pained that she was still so afraid.

"She will have that fear for some time," Edriv sighed sadly. "I have seen such before and know that it will be quite an uphill battle for her to trust men again. She may be well near male children but none that are adult. At least until she can work through her trauma."

Atara nodded tiredly. She slumped against Zine, who wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"Let them remain here," she spoke softly. "They are too used to being together that they will panic if separated."

All gave agreement and a few of the remaining healers began to fashion a large nest of beds for the six women to be on.

Zine helped Atara stand and shuffle towards their room. He knew she was drained and, despite the mass influx of energy he had gained from them, he was exhausted as well. He would rest next to his love this night but not before letting one of his Shadows be in the room to watch over them.

Edriv watched as the women got comfortable before leaving as well. He instructed his guard to have two standing at the door and the no male other than Adrin, Shadow, Muse and himself were to enter. Only female healers would tend to them.

Once established, he went to his study as saw that the familiar he sent after the wolves had returned to him. With a nod it let him know that the three lords would arrive in the next three days. He knew that Sesshomaru would be the first to arrive as the Western Fortress was near the border connection of all four lands. Although he knew it would irritate the inu, he was only going to let them see the females once all were present and fully rested. After dismissing the familiar, he looked over his desk to see if anything needed immediate attention. Seeing none, he retired for the evening. It had been a stressful day.


	4. Chapter 4

**_The Arrival of the Lords_**

Sesshomaru stepped into the vast stone courtyard and saw that Edvir was waiting with a few people he didn't recognize. As he neared, he felt the massive power from the smallest there. He took in the child's attire and knew instantly who he was.

"This Sesshomaru greets you, Prince Adrin of Carmidya," he said with a low bow.

"This Child returns your greeting," Adrin smiled with s slight bow of his head.

Shippou watched the exchange with wide eyes. Normally the cold daiyokai only lowered his head to others as they tended to either be in equal or lesser status. He looked at the boy that physically looked only a few years older than him with mixed awe and concern. The boy smiled softly and Shippou looked towards the others. He could tell that each were powerful and in a way, they kind of reminded him of the taichi before Kagome had left for three years.

The tall man with silver eyes and hair had a cold demeanor that seemed empty yet all encompassing, the other had a welcoming smile but his eyes showed a level of insanity that kind of reminded him of Princess Kaguya. The last was a tall woman who stood as proudly as Sango once had but the sword on her back pulsed with a darkness that reminded him of Sou'Unga and Naraku combined. It made him shiver but he tried to keep a brave face.

Edvir watched the youngest Cardinal Lord greet Adrin and smiled at the confusion on the kitsune kit's face at the actions. He would come to understand the significance of such soon. Just as he was about to greet them himself, a sharp call went through the air. He turned his head up and smiled as four Falcon yokai flew into the courtyard and landed in true form. In a swirl of light to dark blue energy, all four shifted to the human form.

Tenkotsu was dressed in a vibrant array of blues that brought out his sharp eyes and long dark hair. Tetomi was in the black cloth and dark steel of the Northern Army, his hair tied in a high tail, with his mate dressed in soft blues with some peach blossoms stitched in. Her hair was in an elaborate bun with small chimes in her hair. Next to her was their only son and triplet to Hikari and Yukari, similarly dressed as their father with his hair the same. Shortly after their arrival, Ortomu came with two guards dressed in dark browns.

"Well now," Edvir smiled. "I expected Lord Sesshomaru early but now that all of you are here, that makes things easier. All are within the Santcum of Lady Priest."

With a nod from each, he motioned for them to follow him inside. He led them through his palace, taking the shortest route to the area he had given to Priest for her stay. He came to a stop at the doors and turned to face the collected group.

"Be warned," he spoke coolly. "They are still healing from their trauma but, are more or less doing well."

He saw them nod and opened the door to the Sanctum. Inside were all of the women cuddled together. Tetomi froze and began to shake at the state of his daughters. He could see their once long locks cropped just under their ears. Tears slid down his mate's eyes as she ran into the room and took both of her children in her arms, her face buried in their shoulders.

Hikari and Yukari were stunned but eventually wrapped their arms around their mother, tears sliding down their eyes. The others turned to the door and saw the others. Suki and Ami had small tears slide down their face when they saw Ortomu.

The large bear shook as he saw the state of the little rabbits. He could tell that the tears weren't because they afraid of him, but of relief that he was there. Although he wanted to enter the room and check them himself, the warning from Edvir rung in his mind. He could tell by their look what they had possibly endured.

Shippou was in stunned horror at the look of Kagome. Her once long, lush black hair was butchered just under her ears, her face was shallow and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her once deep cobalt eyes showed clearly that she was terrified of everything around her save for the women in the closest proximity to her. Shippou let the few tears he was holding at bay slip as he ran into the room and latched himself to her chest, apologies spilling from him for not being able to help her. He felt her tense but ultimate wrap her arms around him and began crying heavily and try to reassure him.

Sesshomaru remained at the door, his face blank and his eyes cold. Inside on the other hand was a riot of emotions. His nose could tell exactly what all of them had been put through. His beast wanted to butcher not only the ookami tribe but also his brother and the two ningen that were normally with him. He highly doubted that there was any conceivably good reason as to why the whelp had gone back on his word yet again to protect the young miko he had mated. Or for the other two.

 _No_ , his mentally hissed. _With this negligence and disregard, she is no longer his mate and wife. Inuyasha has forfeited his claim on her._

 ** _Have her as ours_** , his beast chimed in. **_She was only bound to him by human law. There was and is no mating mark. We can take her as ours and keep her from the whelp and others who forsook her._**

He thought over the words as well as felt the long buried desire he had hidden when she had returned to the whelp after she had vanished. He had begrudgingly begun to acknowledge his attraction to her while the foul kumo had been around. He admired her spirit, her drive and honor. The level of her power had drawn the attention of many but most dismissed her because her lack of training. He, on the other hand, had dismissed her lack of training when he had witnessed what she could due purely based on instinct and her desire to protect those around her.

When she had vanished, he had been forced to put aside his longing and desire to have her as his. He did hold the slim hope that he may try to gain her favor upon her return but when he had caught wind that she and Inuyasha were going to be mated, he had, once again, put aside his own feelings. When the kit had arrived to tell him that the miko had been missing for just over a moon nearly a full cycle ago, he had readily agreed to help.

Now, seeing her as she was, his desires to have and protect her resurfaced with a vengeance and Sesshomaru fully intended to make his claim known once she had recovered.

"Given how your eyes flicker," Edvir spoke softly to him. "Your senses have told you what they have suffered. I will not get in your way in meting out the punishment for those of her former group but this was done on my lands and against one of those within my own house. I will let you aid but the final blow will be mine."

"This one agrees," Sesshomaru spoke coldly. "I will only take her from your care once she has been deemed stable."

"The same applies for use as well," Tenkotsu stated, watching his family from the door.

Ortomu grunted in agreement, his eyes never leaving the small group. By now, Suki and Ami had been enveloped in the hug from the female falcon that had run into the room. The kit had been enveloped in the center along with the young priestess. He and the others could tell that the cold Western Lord was warring with himself over what had been done to one of his pack.

"It is best to let them rest here," Atara ordered, causing the gathered males to look at her. "They are safe inside my Sanctum and the familiarity will ease them. Lord Ortomu, if they have family in your lands, please have them brought here."

"They do not," he sighed heavily. "Their nest was ransacked and they were the only ones to survive. I took them in as my wards. I will have my cubs and mate come. My young are female."

Atara nodded sadly. She was grieved that the rabbits had no other family but at least they had something to give them some normalcy and hope. "It may take them some time beyond being fully healed for them to even consider the option of taking a mate of any kind. When such does come about, make sure the one chosen has some understanding about what they have gone through."

"Hikari and Yukari have intended mates," Tetomi sighed. "If they are still willing, I will inform them."

"Hold off on that, Tomi," Tenkotsu stated. "Let your daughters recover first and gently begin asking if they still wish for the mating."

The falcon general nodded before looking back at his mate and children. "With your permission, Lord Edvir; may my son and I stand guard at these doors? I know you have competent guards but..."

"It will ease your mind on the welfare of your family," Edvir finished. "I understand this very well. You are welcome to do so. The rooms across can be made to suit you for your stay if you wish."

Tetomi and Hakai bowed their heads in thanks. Ortomu nodded softly. He had heard about the accomplishments of the Northern General and prayed to never have the need to clash blades against the falcon at any point in the future. If he was standing guard at the door, those inside would be safe. Sesshomaru was hesitant to leave Kagome and the kit to the protection of another, he was after all, an inu. Though he was loath to do so, he agreed but requested to be near. Edvir readily accepted and made his staff prepare the adjacent rooms to be prepared for his guests.

While waiting for the rooms to be furnished, those not in the rooms had left to eat the evening meal and discuss what was to be done about the women and those responsible. The conversation went on well passed when the meal had been finished and up to the point Ardin retired for the evening. It had been decided that each would have a chance at a declaration of reparations or met out the price of their action on each party involved. Though normally such instances of betrayal and treason were met with death, it was deemed that the women would get the final vote. The only one that would have to be given in-depth explanations on the reasons would be Kagome. She wasn't fully educated on how the upper yokai did thingsor why, much to her detriment, but they were willing to give her those proper lessons now and for the future.

Each would have a chance at carving a scar into the hide of the ookami responsible but the fate of the members of the Kagome's group were resting solely with her, Sesshomaru and Shippou. Sesshomaru had been able to explain that Kirara was with them of her own will and wanted to make amends to the young miko for not being able to get to her or be with her when she went to the dens.

All understood that she had been tasked with the retrieval of the kit when his time of recess from the kitsune school had arrived, so she was exempt for the punishments that would be doled out. It was also brought the the attention of the others that, although she never fully mated Inuyasha, Sesshomaru viewed her as part of his pack and had for some time.

Adrin had brought up a few questions pertaining to Kagome and her ties to the world and Shippou readily gave the tale after receiving a nod from the cold daiyokai. Most had heard about her and the taichi's accomplishments through next hand information, but hearing it from one who had been part of it since almost the beginning was all together a wholly different story. Each listened with rapt attention, the daiyokai adding his view on things during the times his group and theirs encountered each other. At the end of it all, each had come to the same conclusion, the miko was going to have the hardest time healing from the wounds she had since they were done by people she once called friend and even family.

"We will touch the rest of the topic in the morning," Edvir proclaimed when he caught Adrin try to stifle another yawn. "Rest well and carry peace into your slumber."

Each bowed and rose to go to their completed rooms. Shippou and Asari went into the Sanctum to be with the women, Tetomi and Hakai took their places just outside the doors, and the others went to the rooms across the hall. Each doubted that the rest would sleep well this night but knew they would try for the sake of those near them. It was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A New Morning_**

Kagome woke to a rather strange sensation. She was used to being surrounded by Anvira, Suki, Ami, Hikari and Yukari, but it had been quite a while since she had something warm and fuzzy under her chin. She slowly opened her eyes and was met with bright auburn hair and emerald eyes. Tears pricked her eyes as the memory of Shippou running in came to her. She pulled him closer and held him securely to her chest.

Hikari and Yukari had been the first to wake and take in the sight of the young miko with a kitsune kit curled to her chest. They smiled softly and had watched over their mother as she slept softly, one of their hands in each of hers. When she began to stir, they helped her sit up from the mass of bodies. They were hesitant to leave the nest of bedding until the others woke up, even though they wanted to spend some time with their father and brother.

It wasn't long before the others woke. Anvira was able to get her bearings shortly after her eyes opened but Suki and Ami to a few moments. When all were awake, Anvira looked over the others to see if there were any lingering injuries aside from the psychological and emotional. To her relief, there were none. She patiently let the healers look her over before she was given a small bowl of bluish liquid.

She recognized it immediately.

The liquid was actually a fluid form of her power. Being an Elemental, she could siphon part of her power and form it into a semi-solid state to be stored for times when she was either drained beyond regular healing methods or in a case of her being partially separated from her element. She had many such items that she had made over the years.

With a soft sigh, she drank the liquid and shut her eyes. All around her felt the pulse of her power beginning to rebuild itself. The others watched as her once cropped hair began to lengthen and fall in waves down her back. She opened her eyes and smiled at the others.

Each had soft smiles of their own. Anvira knew it would take a fair bit longer for the others to regain the length of their hair back, Kagome in particular, but she knew that in time they would have their locks back to the way they were supposed to be. Kagome hesitantly reached out to touch the long pale blue locks. She had never seen Anvira with her hair long and felt a small pang of jealousy rise up, but she forced it down. She wished to have her length back but knew it would take a very long time to regrow, if she ever let it get to that length again.

Before her hair was cut to be shorter than Ayame's, her hair was down to her waist and she took good care of it. She normally had it unbound unless she was mixing herbs into ointments or pastes. If it was a really warm day, Kagome would pull it into a loose bun. She also wore it up for special occasions such as the few festivals the village had around the year.

When she was kept by Kouga's tribe, her hair length was a detriment to her as it gave them something to grab on to until it was cut. She didn't know why they had suddenly shifted in their opinion of her but it was clear that this had either been in planning for a while or they were under some kind of spell. She never really got the chance to find out as nearly every non-mated male had a turn using her for release since her visit had come around the time their ookami breeding heat was coming to an end. They had been seemingly more vicious towards her over the others and she didn't know why.

When she had tried asking, they either hit her to the point she could see stars or they just laughed and continued on whiteout another word. When she was finally brought to the place where the others were, her heart seemed to shatter. She could tell the five others were yokai and had been there for some time. She watched horrified as they endured the same thing but she felt a spark of hope when she saw two of the five giving the wolves a level of hell worse than when they had gone against Inuyasha. It had taken Kouga and a few of his strongest to get the two women, who were clearly warriors, to stop fighting but even they were injured.

It had taken several moments for them to be pinned so that their short hair could be shortened further. She had been drug over and pinned in place on the ground to wait her turn. She had tried to squirm out from under those holding her but they were men and weighed more than she could move. Just as she was considering using her reiki to zap them enough to get them off, Kouga had stepped in front of her and knelt down.

She felt the two holding her shift so that their leader could lift her head by her hair and speak to her. He claimed that what was about to happen was the price for her refusal to accept that she belonged to the tribe all those years ago and vanished before he could enforce it. It also would have been better if she stayed pure and returned to him before Inuyasha. Had she not given herself to Inuyasha, she would have had an easier life but since she had, she was no better than a whore and would be used as such.

Kagome had tried to reason with him, that he didn't need to do this and that she wasn't a whore. She had actually been a virgin when she and Inuyasha got married a month after she returned. Kouga had chuckled and said that it didn't matter if she was pure before, she wasn't right then, nor would she ever be again. She watched in horror as he then began to use his claws to carve odd symbols into her forearms and began to chant under his breath. She couldn't hear what he was saying but she felt her reiki seeming to be siphoned from her body. Kagome had begun screaming in pain as he had started and tried to struggle when her reiki started to vanish from her.

When all of her reiki seemed to be gone, and the symbols finished to Kouga's liking, he then used his youki to seal the cuts in such a way that they almost became tattoos. Her throat was hurting from the screams and she had tears sliding down her face. She looked at her once friend with pleading eyes but he simply shook his head with a smile and stood. He walked to the door and told the men there to have her hair cut then they could do what they wanted to the newest addition to the den's new harem.

It shock, pain and dismay, she didn't fight as they butchered her raven locks and began to rape her repeatedly. The males had cut into her skin as they sought their release, uncaring that she was human or if she had her own. The others tried to get them away from her, using themselves as either a shield or distraction but very little deterred them. She had been forcefully taken through out the night and by the time the sun rose outside of the waterfall caves, she had been close to death from both blood loss and abuse.

Her voice was long since gone from her screams, her eyes were swollen shut from her tears and the strikes to her face. When the wolves had left, the five women moved towards her. They spoke softly and gently, easing her into a small pool of warm water and telling her than the monsters wouldn't be back for a while since the sun had risen moments ago. She had been surprised that a few of them knew her name and what she had done in the past. When they asked why she hadn't used her power when she could have, Kagome could tell they painfully understood that this clan was once considered her friend and that she didn't want to hurt them without due reason.

She told them that she had made monthly trips to visit before but didn't know that this area existed since she never felt their auras. They had explained it was because of the marks and showed her that they too had the same things on their arms as well, they had also given her their names and a bit about themselves. She had been surprised that Hikari and Yukari had almost been there to aid her and the taichi when Naraku was in Mount Hakurei but had been detained because of the massive influx of yokai that had poured out of the collapsing mountain.

Anvira had never met her but knew of her, not just from the stories of her travels, but from the waters of Nihon. She explained that she was an Elemental, not a yokai, and as such, similar aspects of what she was could speak to her. Unfortunately, since the marks had been placed, she hadn't been able to use the small pool of water they were in to do more than clean up after the mongrels had left.

It was over the course of the year she was held with them that she gave up on using her voice and was just about to give up entirely. Had she and the other endured another day of their abuse, she probably would have ended her life just to escape the pain. When she heard Ginta's voice, a small bloom of hope took root. She recalled him and Hakkaku telling her shortly after she returned that they had left Kouga's den and had been in training to serve the Lord of the East. They had apparently left shortly after she had vanished and Kouga's mating ceremony to Ayame. They hadn't really explained why they had left only a week after the ceremony but they did impart that they felt they no longer belonged in the den, and hadn't for a while.

She hadn't pressed then but she had begun to wonder if their departure was because of this or the plans to do so.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Anvira gently taking her hand and holding it to her chest. What few tears Kagome could still cry slid down her face.

Anvira and the others had caught the pain, resentment and depression that began to swirl inside her as Kagome had gently run her fingers through Anvira's fine hair. They knew instantly where her mind had gone and had slowly moved around her. Asari and Shippou had watched in awe and confusion as the other circled Kagome when her emotions began to rise. Each woman began to place a hand on the small miko and Anvira placed her hand on her heart. Shippou's eyes widened when his mother started to cry but was almost immediately calmed.

It also brought to his attention that since he had been there, she hadn't spoken once. Sure she held him, using her touch to reassure him, but she hadn't spoken.

"How come okaa-san doesn't talk?" He asked softly.

Hikari looked at him softly and sighed sadly. "She lost the will to use her voice almost five moons ago. If not for the arrival of the ones who came for us, she would have lost the will to live."

Shippou looked at them in sheer horror. His body began to shake and his head dropped, unaware that similar actions were being repeated by the two males standing guard at the door.

 _*~* 0o0o0o0o0*~*_

During the night, Tetomi and Hakai had stood vigilant by the door. Some of Edvir's men had offered to let them take a short rest but had politely declined. They had been tempted to rest when Ginta and Hakkaku offered but also declined. They had been surprised that the two didn't take offense but let it pass. Tenkotsu had walked out to see how his cousin and nephew were faring a couple times and had even told one of them to switch off to catch a small bit of sleep. Neither one argued and Tetomi had sent Hakai off to sleep first.

It was only a few hours before Sesshomaru had come out and Tenkotsu had told his cousin to rest. When he was about to argue, Tenkotsu gave him a pointed look before he slumped and when to join his son.

"I know that you would prefer to stand alone at this door," he spoke softly. "But let me have this one mercy."

Sesshomaru had merely nodded and leaned back against the frame of the door across from the one the women were in. Both could tell that the other hadn't slept much due to their concerns. It was just shortly before sunrise that they were rejoined by Tetomi and Hakai. Tetomi was about to request that both daiyokai try and get more rest but it never left his mouth when he felt his daughters waking. The four men waited calmly for the others to wake, as well as for Priest and Edvir to arrive before opening the door.

Edvir hadn't slept that night and neither had his mate. Serana and he had been coming up with ideas on how to deal with the wolves and their actions against not only Anvira but the young miko that had been responsible for the bout of peace since the destruction of Naraku. With what was known about her, both knew she would have a hard time accepting the reasons for why Kouga and his tribe would be either wiped from the face of Japan or forced to endure the same level of torment either in action, through magic or both.

It was also decided that Kagome desperately needed to be taught the ins and outs of yokai society. Even Sesshomaru had stated that she needed such since it was apparent that neither his brother or the others of her group had taught her. Shippou was exempt from that as he was still a child and didn't know all of it himself since his parents were both killed.

Serana had thought it would be good to help her come to terms with things better if they tried to give her the lessons while she was recovering, and that it might be best for the first parts be done by those she was most comfortable with. They would need to talk to Anvira and the others about it but each were certain that the women could be convinced. It was glaringly obvious that she needed the lessons but they also didn't want to overwhelm her.

When the first light of dawn touched the horizon, Edvir parted with his mate to join the others in checking on the women. He wasn't the slightest bit surprised to see the cold inu lord and taciturn falcon standing at the door with the two northern soldiers near by. He caught sight of Ortomu stepping out of the rooms given to him, as well as the energies of the women waking as well as the small swell of Anvira's aura as her connection was strengthened.

As he neared, the others greeted him with a nod which was returned. He was about to speak when he felt the sudden darkening of one of the emotions inside. He quickly opened the door and froze at the sight. Anvira had Kagome's hand over her heart and the other four had a hand on either her shoulder or arm. As their hands remained in place, the dark emotions swirling in the young miko's aura began to dissipate as fresh tears slid down her cheeks.

All tensed at the kit's question and froze at Hikari's answer. Edvir felt his eye twitch as his jaw clenched. Tenkotsu felt his heart drop and a tear slid down his cheek at the sheer pain he could feel in the girl. Hakai, Tetomi and Ortomu had their hands clenched so tight that they were shaking. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, had to almost physically clamp down onto himself. His eyes had shifted to the red and turquoise of his true form.

Even though there were times when her opinionated thinking had gotten in the way of the few things he was after, he had actually come to understand and admire her way of thinking. He knew she was educated, having watched over her group a few times with none of them the wiser. The times he had watched were around the times when Inuyasha was either too injured to notice or wasn't there at all. Her means of coming about her answers had tended to give him a lot to think about and let him know that any conversations they might have together would always be interesting.

At the thought of not being able to hear her speak again, he felt something inside him snap and lurch painfully. His beast whined painfully at the loss before it started snarl and growl, wanting to shred the whelp he called brother and the ookami to pieces.

Edvir glanced towards the others and placed a hand on the young daiyokai's arm. It was clear that the inu lord was having a hard time and, as much as his rage was warranted, he didn't want the man shifting inside the stone confines of the palace.

Crimson eyes moved to meet his with barely restrained anger. Edvir's calm gaze held an edge to it that made the inu look away in a form of begrudging submission. Sesshomaru knew he was among the strongest but Edvir was a whole different breed of monster. He didn't know what all the ruling Lord of the East could do but he had heard a few things that made him weary of angering the man.

Edvir watched as the red stared to slowly leech from his eyes. The others would attribute such a reaction more to the fact that one of his pack had been placed in such a near desperate state but Edvir could see the underlying reasons. The elder son of the Taisho held deeply buried feelings for her and it was obvious to Edvir why Sesshomaru had kept the buried. Seeing her the way she was now, knowing by scent alone what she had gone through, and knowing that it was partially the fault of his own blood was enough to nearly send the inu daiyokai into a blood rage. He honestly couldn't blame him either.

Edvir was just as angry about what had happened, he just had better control over his temper and reactions. Anvira had been with him nearly as long as he had been alive, in fact she was there far before his birth. He and his people came from the far side of the mainland continent, at the edge of the farther ocean. His people had fled their home in hopes of escaping persecution for simply existing. The prior Lord of the East had accepted them onto his lands under the stipulation that they follow his laws and keep the attacks on the humans as minimal as possible or never. Edvir's father had explained to the male that what they were facilitated a need of living blood but they had alternate means of gaining it than what the normal bat yokai did.

True his people could drain a human within seconds of their life blood, but they could also refrain from doing so and take small amounts with none the wiser. The previous lord agreed under the same words that his people manage to not kill anyone unless done out of sheer self-defense. It had been rather easy to keep it that way despite the drastic difference between them and those already living in the East. His people stood out as foreigners but their gentle manner and politeness had won over the humans and many of the yokai in the court.

Their methods of healing worked a fair bit better than what the people already knew and his kin were more than willing to share such knowledge in return for a place to call home. The prior lord had given them a plot of land that was more than enough space for them create farms and homes for themselves. They made a strong settlement and made avid use of the roaming bandits.

While most villages with warriors tended to display the corpses of the deserters along the road as a sign that attacking the village was a bad idea, they left no such displays as the bandits made a convenient food source for them. There would always be bandits, and the occasional damyo trying to surge through the area to gain more power or get rid of the yokai population, and his people saw no need to waste such resources. To the soldiers fighting for their lord, his people were like no yokai they had ever fought, mostly because their usual means of getting rid of them did work.

Sutras, ofuda and spells woven by monks and priestesses didn't seem to work or restrain them, they just seems to either fail or do nothing. Sure the arrows and staves did damage, they were weapons after all, but the purification powers wound into them did nothing.

It wasn't so much that they were immune to the effects of their holy power, it was more of the fact that they had stronger auras and could dampen or overwhelm the reiki or horuki used. They also tried to avoid killing such people as even they knew such gifted children were rare.

Edvir sighed and looked back into the room. He was going to have to find a means of helping the young one use her voice again. Or at the very least have a way to communicate her thoughts.

He carefully walked into the room with the others following silently. He gently cleared his throat to get their attention.


End file.
